“Keirin athletes are very, very hardworking. We have some athletes, like Yoshio Ikari from Shiga, who compete well into their 60s,” says Nihon Jitensha Kyogikai (Japan Bike Race Association) assistant general manager Seika Marunaka. “Just as in the sumo world, however, pride makes people retire after they go down in rank. Still, many cyclists will continue competing, simply because they love what they do.”